When Su Qing said she had scattered the Golden-Winged Great Peng's ashes...
She wasn't joking.
After all, she really had tossed the Golden-Winged Great Peng's ashes right off the cliff.
"You even scattered the ashes?" The Buddha's brows twitched upon hearing this. "That is quite an interesting way to put it! Very vivid..."
Su Qing: "..."
Before Su Qing could offer a retort, the Buddha continued:
"Since the Golden-Winged Great Peng is truly dead, then I have indeed arrived too late. However, that Great Peng was, after all, the younger brother of Mahamayuri. By killing him so directly, you technically should be punished."
"But considering you did it for the sake of all living beings and to rescue Tang Sanzang, I shall let this matter pass. However, let this not happen again!"
"Furthermore, in a few days, come to the Hall of Great Might. I have something to discuss with you!"
Su Qing found the Buddha's words amusing...
What did he mean by 'let this not happen again'?
The Golden-Winged Great Peng's ashes had already been scattered to the winds...
How could there possibly be a next time?
Was he supposed to be resurrected just so she could kill him again?
It was clearly a bit ridiculous.
However, Su Qing also understood the significance of the Buddha's words...
He was merely going through the motions, saying it for the benefit of others.
As for who those 'others' were?
Su Qing had no idea.
Regardless, if he wanted to put on a show, she would simply play along.
Moreover, he had explicitly stated that she could seek him out later for a clear explanation.
Since things were settled this way, what else was there for her to say?
Su Qing pressed her palms together and bowed to the Buddha. "Many thanks for the Buddha's great mercy. This junior will certainly not let it happen again."
The Buddha looked satisfied. He stepped forward and said, "Very well, hurry along to Lion Camel City! Since the Golden-Winged Great Peng is dead, I should be heading back as well. Alas, what a pity... to have arrived a step too late."
Shaking his head, the Buddha vanished...
Just as suddenly as he had appeared.
After seeing the Buddha disappear, Su Qing let out a soft chuckle and shook her head slightly. She thought to herself, 'You act like it's such a great pity, when you clearly noticed it long ago and simply chose not to come.'
After mocking that point, Su Qing didn't forget to harbor a deep critique of the Buddha's acting skills in her heart.
She shook her head, pinched a seal, and sped off toward Lion Camel City on her Somersault Cloud.
Su Qing's Somersault Cloud was exceptionally fast...
In just a short while, she arrived in the sky above Lion Camel City.
By now, the demonic qi over the city had dissipated significantly...
Though the atmosphere remained somewhat oppressive.
Of course, this wasn't something Su Qing needed to worry about.
In any case, the task she needed to do was already complete.
Su Qing scanned the area.
She quickly located the Blue-haired Lion and the White Elephant Demon...
Although Su Qing had gone to chase the Great Peng and left these two unattended, they had remained here obediently, showing no intention of seizing the opportunity to escape.
'These two are the smart ones,' Su Qing chuckled to herself. 'Much smarter than that Golden-Winged Great Peng who thought himself so clever.'
Upon noticing Su Qing's return, the White Elephant Demon hurriedly prostrated himself. "Greetings, Bodhisattva! We have been waiting here for your return for quite some time."
Su Qing nodded. "Mm, you are indeed well-behaved! Wait here a little longer. Once I've finished wrapping things up here, I will take you back to see your masters."
Hearing this, the White Elephant Demon was about to nod when he suddenly froze.
He looked up at the sky and said, "Replying to the Bodhisattva, there is no need. Our masters have come to collect us."
The Blue-haired Lion followed suit, saying, "My master has arrived as well."
Su Qing blinked and looked up at the sky...
She saw the originally gloomy sky, which had been oppressively shrouded in demonic qi, suddenly burst with a massive surge of Buddhist light. In an instant, the dark demonic qi was swept away, and even the earth was illuminated.
However, the Buddhist light was so piercing that Su Qing, looking directly into it, couldn't help but squint her eyes...
What did it feel like?
It felt like a hundred people were waving high-powered flashlights right in front of your face...
The sensation was quite unpleasant.
Left with no choice, Su Qing cast a spell on her eyes. After shielding herself from some of the glare, she finally managed to see clearly who was within that Buddhist light.
Aside from the masters of the Blue-haired Lion and the White Elephant Demon, there were also the Eighteen Arhats and the Four Great Vajras...
Manjusri and Puxian had clearly come to reclaim their mounts.
As for the Eighteen Arhats and the Four Great Vajras, they were likely here to clear the field.
Evidently... the minor demons here were likely unable to escape death...
No, that wasn't necessarily true.
If they converted quickly enough, they might still keep their lives.
After all, that was the way of the Buddhist Court; as long as one was willing to convert obediently, there was a high probability they wouldn't be killed on the spot...
Of course, this had nothing to do with Su Qing... it was no longer within her scope of responsibility.
Su Qing shook her head, looking at Manjusri and Puxian. She thought, 'These people certainly timed their arrival well. They didn't come early, they didn't come late, but the moment I finished everything and returned, here they are... Oh, wait, it's probably because of the Buddha! He likely called them over to clean up the mess after he went back.'
Su Qing chuckled inwardly, deciding not to care further.
As she pondered, the two Bodhisattvas, Manjusri and Puxian, descended from the clouds and landed before Su Qing...
Seeing the two Bodhisattvas approach, Su Qing pressed her palms together in greeting. "Greetings to the two Bodhisattvas!"
"Amitabha. It truly has been a long time since we last saw the Sovereign. Has the Sovereign been well lately?" Manjusri said, looking at Su Qing with a smile.
"I appreciate the Bodhisattva's concern..." Su Qing nodded with a smile. "Everything has been going quite smoothly recently. I presume the two Bodhisattvas have come today for your mounts?"
Su Qing didn't care for meaningless pleasantries, so she brought it up directly to save them from beating around the bush and wasting time...
Manjusri and Puxian both gave gentle smiles and nodded. "The Sovereign is correct. We have come today for our mounts... Is the Sovereign able to return them to us now?"
Since Su Qing had taken the initiative to mention it, the two Bodhisattvas naturally followed suit to reclaim their mounts as soon as possible.
Su Qing nodded. "Of course, that is no problem. In fact, I had originally planned to deliver them to you both, but I didn't expect you to come looking for them yourselves."
"Amitabha. Our thanks to the Sovereign this time. If not for the Sovereign, we might not have known how much longer it would take to find our mounts!" Manjusri Bodhisattva chanted a Buddhist name, then said with a look of gratitude, "The Sovereign has worked hard."
Su Qing shook her head. "I didn't expend much effort. These two were quite sensible; they surrendered voluntarily upon seeing me, so it was quite easy."
"Regardless, our thanks to the Sovereign," Puxian added.
Su Qing smiled and stopped responding. If she continued the conversation, it would likely go on forever.
Thus, cutting it short was the right move.
Seeing that Su Qing had stopped talking, Manjusri and Puxian simply nodded to her with smiles.
Then, they turned to the Blue-haired Lion and the White Elephant Demon and said, "Vile beasts, why have you not come over?"
The Blue-haired Lion and the White Elephant Demon hurriedly rose and walked to the front of the two Bodhisattvas.
They then crouched down, waiting for the Bodhisattvas to mount.
Manjusri and Puxian were quite satisfied with this.
Evidently, despite being left to run wild for so long, they hadn't returned to their feral nature.
This saved a lot of trouble.
There would be no need for further training upon their return.
The two Bodhisattvas mounted their steeds and said to Su Qing, "Now that we have reclaimed our mounts, we shall not continue to disturb the Sovereign here. As for the cleanup work, there is no need for the Sovereign to worry; the Arhats and Vajras we brought can handle it!"
Su Qing nodded. Although she hadn't intended to intervene in the cleanup anyway, since the seniors had mentioned it, she naturally had to say a few words.
"That is for the best. My thanks to the seniors," Su Qing said. "Safe travels, seniors!"
The two Bodhisattvas nodded without further word and patted their mounts...
The Blue-haired Lion and the White Elephant Demon understood what to do. After thanking Su Qing, they carried the Bodhisattvas back toward the Western Heaven.
On the other side.
Wukong had already rescued Tang Sanzang and his junior brothers.
Looking at the Arhats and Vajras in the sky, Tang Sanzang began to chant Buddhist names and whispered a section of scripture.
Seeing this, Wukong felt that his master was still acting like he had never seen the world...
What was the point in bowing to Arhats and Vajras?
Just then, Su Qing found them on her cloud.
She descended and landed before the master and disciples.
"It seems you've already rescued your master, Wukong," Su Qing said with a nod.
"It's all thanks to you, Big Sister! If you hadn't subdued those three demons, how would I have had the chance to rescue Master?" Wukong scratched his head and chuckled. "Master, I don't need to introduce who this is, do I?"
As soon as Wukong finished speaking, Tang Xuanzang bowed to Su Qing. "Thank you, Bodhisattva, for saving my life!"
Su Qing waved her hand. "Saving you was just something I did in passing. I mainly came here to eliminate demons."
"But the fact that the Bodhisattva saved me is the truth. How can I not give thanks for such grace?" Tang Xuanzang said hurriedly.
Su Qing felt helpless and said, "If you wish to thank me, then go and fetch the true scriptures properly!"
Tang Sanzang nodded immediately. "This monk will not return until the true scriptures are obtained."
Su Qing nodded. Although this Tang Sanzang had many faults, his dedication to the pilgrimage was indeed sincere...
Su Qing felt a bit speechless, wondering what went on in his head.
But whatever he thought had little to do with her...
In any case, she couldn't change much.
She had only come over to see how things were going.
"In that case, continue your journey westward! I shall take my leave now," Su Qing said, looking at Tang Sanzang.
"Amitabha. We respectfully see the Bodhisattva off." Tang Sanzang didn't dare to delay her and saw Su Qing off.
Su Qing nodded, then glanced at Zhu Bajie. She saw that the pig was actually being quite well-behaved...
Seeing this, Su Qing couldn't help but find it funny...
This fellow seemed truly afraid of her.
She clearly hadn't even hit him, had she?
But Su Qing didn't care to dwell on it. It was better if Zhu Bajie stayed a bit more honest, lest she get irritated looking at him.
"Wukong, protect your master well. I'm leaving."
Wukong nodded hurriedly. "Don't worry, Big Sister. I will definitely protect Master!"
Su Qing nodded, then pinched a seal and sped off toward the Northern Continent on her Somersault Cloud.
Once Su Qing had flown far enough to be out of sight,
Zhu Bajie, who had been holding it in for a long time, finally let out a sigh of relief.
He patted his chest and said, "That scared your Old Pig to death. When your Big Sister was staring at me just now, I didn't even dare to breathe."
Wukong chuckled and knocked Zhu Bajie on the head. "Have you done something to feel guilty about?"
"Your Old Pig has always had a clear conscience. Naturally, I've done nothing of the sort," Zhu Bajie said, sniffing and shaking his head hurriedly.
Wukong chuckled, clearly not believing a word of it, but he didn't care to argue. He simply gave Zhu Bajie's ear a tug as a small lesson.
Then he said to his master, "Master, my Big Sister has gone far. Let's get moving too!"
Tang Sanzang nodded. "Then let us depart!"
And so, the master and disciples set off once again toward the Western Heaven.
On the other side.
After flying for quite a while, Su Qing finally returned to Great Emperor Zhenwu's residence in the Northern Continent.
Su Qing wasn't in a hurry to go straight to the Buddha...
After all, the events at Lion Camel Kingdom had just concluded, and the Buddhist Court was likely quite busy.
There was no point in going now.
Besides, the Buddha had told her to go in a few days...
Returning to her sleeping quarters,
Su Qing walked to the backyard, intending to place her long spear back onto the rack.
Since she didn't use it in her daily life, keeping it on the rack in the backyard as a decoration was quite nice...
However, when Su Qing took out the long spear again to set it down, she suddenly noticed that a subtle change seemed to have occurred to the weapon.
The spear's originally silver-white body was now entwined with many fine golden lines...
These golden lines didn't look like they had been added later; rather, they seemed to have grown naturally from the spear itself.
Observing this change, Su Qing's mind stirred... she communicated with the spear's Artifact Spirit.
Although the spirit's intelligence wasn't high, it could still convey its condition—at the very least, it could express whether it was comfortable or in pain.
After a bit of communication, Su Qing received an answer.
The Artifact Spirit indicated that its state was excellent—one could even say it had never been better...
This surprised Su Qing. Had killing the Golden-Winged Great Peng actually caused this spear to evolve?
'Well, I'm no expert in artifact forging. Professional questions should be answered by professional people. I'll go ask Immortal Lin Jiu later; she should know something.'
Su Qing shook her head, quickly giving up on thinking and deciding to consult an expert.
Still, Su Qing found it a bit funny...
By killing the Golden-Winged Great Peng today, how had she managed to pick up so many unexpected benefits?
Rate on N.U.
